How Did U.S. Miss Russia's Crimea Troop Buildup?

3/24/2014 9:09AM

A look at the holes in U.S. intelligence in the run up to the Crimea takeover and the scramble to address them. WSJ's national security correspondent Adam Entous joins the News Hub with the exclusive. Photo: Getty.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the ... for us all and that what seems to be full of holes at least that's what Russia's annexation of Crimea ... seems to show will have back and mall right here right now ... I'm Simon Constable and WSJ's Adam and czars Johns's now to explain what's been going on with the U S find out what to Adam grates to pay you ... dive deep ... a new found a lot of holes ... right ... so will we see is that said there were a big warnings ... of that were being raised by the intelligence community is so far back as December ... and right before and the days before the Russians went into Crimea ... I they had very clear satellite in the G showing that troop buildups on the outside ... on Russian soil close to Crimea ... but in the end in the intelligence agencies didn't pick up any ... telltale communications ... between either Russian leaders commanders or even soldiers on the ground inside Crimea ... in which they talked about their operation ... and the officials we talk to our were very surprised by this ... I usually the US would pick this up ... and instead of describing this an ... itch extremely yet impressive communications discipline ... on the part of the Russians in this case what some system that they're using ... that for some reason is not being picked up by US Intercept's ... solved until we have any idea how they're invading the eavesdropping or is that some is is that still a state secret ... as in them ... Russian state secret ... right I think it's something that that the Americans are deftly looking into doing that the reason why this is very significant is ... this as you know there are thousands of additional Russian troops ... that are now staging ... a nine year Ukraine's eastern border ... and unless the United States gets a way to listen to those conversations ... to hear what the commanders are saying to their soldiers ... to each other with the leaders are doing ... it's going to be hit very hard for us to predict ... or assess what so what Putin's their intentions are next ... so that's really the key issue for the Americans right now trying to figure this out and and adamantly did stress of the US the small band One spy agencies of the number of different spy agencies ... in tennis and snack compete saying ... aam wouldn't zombie the competing match of the mean the B of A laps and that you know that that should mean that they're off ... there are no holes because everybody so the competing to do better than the Ottawa ... well they they they all compete but they all have different strain so National Security Agency ... is the one that collects the intercepts you have another agency that has satellite imagery analysis that it does ... you have this EIA which has the human intelligence ... and analytical Straits and you have the Defense intelligence Agency which specializes in in spending other militaries ... ISO is in this case which you had was ... a consensus that there appear to have good likelihood that debt who would go into Crimea starting on the twenty sixth of February ... was one that warning was was made to the president ... but the de tails day without having the intercepted communications ... they really struggle to ... come up with to come without an explanation of what was going to happen next ... and weigh in ... and say you had differences on the onthe analytical side ... and the intelligence agencies couldn't be is ... as committed and is certain as as you would expect him to be if they had a fuller picture ... kind ... of interesting stuffs lower ... intelligence still remembered and when it comes to invading ... other countries or taking them of a thank you Brian much Adam and sense of the Wall Street John all